Orange recently became the first European operator to offer satellite SMS service with Skylo, a non-terrestrial network operator (NTN), to be initially offered to Google Pixel 9 or 10 smartphones owners on an exclusive basis.
Orange announced the launch of “Message Satellite,” a service that allows its customers based in mainland France to send and receive SMS messages as well as their geolocation via satellite when mobile or Wi-Fi coverage is unavailable. The service is currently available for use in France and 36 countries to date.
This service relies on the Direct-to-Device (D2D) technology that allows the smartphone to communicate directly with a satellite. Users connect to the satellite through a dedicated SMS interface for the message, with the satellite sending and receiving the SMS messages via Orange’s core mobile network.